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  • REPORT: ‘Daredevil’s Disney+ Series Adds ‘Arrowverse’ Writers and Former Lawyers

    REPORT: ‘Daredevil’s Disney+ Series Adds ‘Arrowverse’ Writers and Former Lawyers

    It looks like Marvel Studios is pushing forward quickly, as they are ramping up on one of their most ambitious Disney+ series yet. Daredevil: Born Again will be the longest Disney+ series with 18 episodes and their first attempt at living in the shadow of a previous adaptation with returning actors. Now, we may have a better idea of what they may have planned for the series with som newly revealed writers.

    Daredevil‘s Disney+ series may have added some former lawyers to its cast with David Feige, who was a public defender in New York City but also went on to work on series like Raising the Bar or The Firm. Former attorney Thomas Wong also joins after working on Bull and Michael Weatherly. Queens prosecutor Zachary Reiter has also joined, who worked with Feige on The Firm as well as on Law & Order: Organized Crime

    She-Hulk, Attorney at Law also relied on former lawyer Charles Soule to offer some insight into how to bring the legal comedy to life. That isn’t all, as the report also points to former Arrowverse writers having joined the production with Jill Blankenship and Grainne Godfree. Blankenship was a showrunner on Naomi but also worked on a variety of Arrow episodes while Godfree was involved with The Flash, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

    The addition of Arrow writers is definitely interesting, as this extensive writers’ room may hint at a very grounded and legal-heavy drama. It would match why the show has up to 18 episodes. They join showrunners Matt Corman and Chris Ord, who have the challenging task of bringing back the iconic franchise while adding their own spin to it.

    Source: Cosmic Circus via The Direct

  • RUMOR: ‘You’ Star Joins ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ as Vanessa

    RUMOR: ‘You’ Star Joins ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ as Vanessa

    It feels like Five Nights at Freddy’s has been in development hell for quite some time. Now, they’re finally moving forward with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop working on the live-action adaptation. The biggest news came when the first casting announcement also finally dropped with Matthew Lillard and Josh Hutcherson taking on leading roles for the project.

    Emma Tammi is in the directing chair and it looks like one more star has been found in a rather curious role for fans of the gaming franchise. You‘s Elizabeth Lail has seemingly joined the cast according to Daniel Richtman. For those that recently played the game Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, the character had a major role in the game and its lore.

    GeeksVibesNation also highlighted that the role of “Vanessa” is currently being cast with the description stating that she’s a “police officer who shows up during one of Mike’s work shifts.” What sticks out is that she has a “keen understanding of the dark history and inner workings of the restaurant.”

    She was a nightguard in the Security Brach game and it’s curious they changed her role, but there’s a chance the name is just a coincidence to get fans of the franchise theorizing. Still, there’s a good chance that creator Scott Cawthon is reusing elements from his various games to pick together a unique story that plays on similar themes. The only question we’re stuck with now: is Vanny also going to appear?

    Source: GeeksVibesNation, Patreon via Twitter

  • ‘Superman and Lois’ Adds ‘The Walking Dead’ Star as Lex Luthor

    ‘Superman and Lois’ Adds ‘The Walking Dead’ Star as Lex Luthor

    At this point, we may have more versions of Lex Luthor in the DC Extended Universe than almost any other character. Superman & Lois has still been going strong with its third season set to premiere later in March. Yet, it seems the first major casting news has finally arrived with the CW series having added Michael Cudlitz in the role of the iconic DC villain bent on taking down his superpowered archrival.

    The character description has hinted that Cudlitz‘s take on the iconic character will explore the duality of the character. By day, he’s a “visionary billionaire behind LexCorp” but the criminal underworld knows that he’s actually a “brutal psychopath.” It seems this version of the character has not been in the public for some time and has set his eyes on revenge towards Tyler Hoechlin‘s Superman and Elizabeth Tulloch‘s Lois Lane.

    Even the nice family life of the Clarks won’t be safe from his new take on Luthor, which seems to be leaning more into a darker place for the character. We’ve just recently got a new version of the character played by Titus Welliver in the fourth season of Titans back in November. The Arrowverse had Jon Cryer in the role, who gave his unique take in the role.

    Source: Entertainment Weekly

  • ‘Wakanda Forever’ Among 22 Disney Projects Nominated for the 95th Academy Awards

    ‘Wakanda Forever’ Among 22 Disney Projects Nominated for the 95th Academy Awards

    Nominees for the 95th Oscars have been announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater located in Beverly Hills, California. The nomination ceremony was hosted by Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams, and consisted of 23 different categories, including best picture, best actor and actress in lead and supporting roles, best original and adapted screenplay, and much more.

    The announcement was streamed live on the Academy’s official webpages (Oscars.com) and social media handles, as well as aired on ABC’s Good Morning America. You can take a look at every single nomination at the 2023 Oscars, in over 23 different categories below.

    Best Costume Design

    • “Babylon”  
    • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris”

    Best Actress in a Supporting Role

    • Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) 
    • Hong Chau (“The Whale”) 
    • Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
    • Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

    Best Actor in a Supporting Role

    • Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”) 
    • Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)
    • Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

    Best Animated Feature Film 

    • “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
    • “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” 
    • “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
    • “The Sea Beast”
    • “Turning Red”

    Best Makeup and Hairstyling 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front” 
    • “The Batman”
    • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
    • “Elvis” 
    • “The Whale” 

    Best Original Score 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”  
    • “Babylon”  
    • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “The Fabelmans”  

    Best Live Action Short

    • “An Irish Goodbye”
    • “Ivalu”
    • “Le Pupille”
    • “Night Ride”
    • “The Red Suitcase”

    Best Animated Short Film

    • “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse”
    • “The Flying Sailor” 
    • “Ice Merchants” 
    • “My Year of Dicks” 
    • “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” 

    Best Sound

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
    • “The Batman”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”

    Best Adapted Screenplay

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
    • “Living”
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”
    • “Women Talking”

    Best Original Screenplay

    • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “The Fabelmans”
    • “Tár”
    • “Triangle of Sadness”
    • “An Irish Goodbye”

    Best Cinematography 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Empire of Light”
    • “Tár”

    Best Documentary Feature Film 

    • “All That Breathes”  
    • “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”
    • “Fire of Love”
    • “A House Made of Splinters”
    • “Navalny”

    Best Film Editing

    • “The Banshees of Inisherin”
    • “Elvis”
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
    • “Tár”
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”

    Best Documentary Short Film 

    • “The Elephant Whisperers”
    • “Haulout”
    • “How Do You Measure a Year?”
    • “The Martha Mitchell Effect”
    • “Stranger at the Gate”

    Best International Feature Film 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) 
    • “Argentina, 1985” (Argentina) 
    • “Close” (Belgium)
    • “EO” (Poland) 
    • “The Quiet Girl” (Ireland) 

    Best Visual Effects

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
    • “The Batman”
    • “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”  
    • “Top Gun: Maverick”

    Best Original Song 

    • “Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman”
    • “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”   
    • “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”   
    • “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”   
    • “This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” 

    Best Production Design 

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front”
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water”
    • “Babylon”
    • “Elvis”
    • “The Fabelmans”

    Best Lead Actor

    • Austin Butler (“Elvis”) 
    • Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) 
    • Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) 
    • Bill Nighy (“Living”) 

    Best Lead Actress

    • Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) 
    • Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) 
    • Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)
    • Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”) 
    • Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 

    Best Director 

    • Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”) 
    • Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) 
    • Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) 
    • Todd Field (“Tár”) 
    • Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”) 

    Best Picture

    • “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix) 
    • “Avatar: The Way of Water” (20th Century Studios) 
    • “The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures) 
    • “Elvis” (Warner Bros.) 
    • “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) 
    • “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures) 
    • “Tár” (Focus Features) 
    • “Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount Pictures) 
    • “Triangle of Sadness” (Neon) 
    • “Women Talking” (MGM/United Artists Releasing) 

     Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once leads the awards with a total of 11 nominations. In second place, Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front and Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin are tied with 9 nominations each.
    Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis stands at a close third place, with 8 nominations.

    The final winners for the 2023 Oscars will be announced on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. Television host/comedian Jimmy Kimmel is set to return as the host, after previously hosting the ceremony back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

  • ‘The Last of Us’ From Game to Screen: Episode 2

    ‘The Last of Us’ From Game to Screen: Episode 2

    We are back with another edition of #GameToScreen, where we review the key differences between a video game and its adaptation. We continue with Episode 2 of The Last Of Us, Infected. You can read our veteran’s review here and our newbie’s review here, and you can yell at Charles if need be. Let’s dive right in!

    The Connection Between The Infected

    We alluded to this in Episode 1’s Game to Screen, but Episode 2 confirms the impact that the subtle change in how people are infected can have on this world. Since people are infected via the vines of other infected, then this means they are all theoretically connected. Now, this is obviously a drastic change from the games in that there is almost a symbiotic relationship between each of the infected. It, also, really gives us more questions than answers. Are they learning from each other? Is there an Infected Prime somewhere who is essentially Patient Zero?

    Tess’s Death

    We, also, alluded to this in last week’s Game to Screen, but changing Tess from Joel’s business partner to his business partner slash lover meant that things that were headed our way would have much different meaning. Tess dies off-camera in the games, choosing to sacrifice herself to ensure that Joel and Ellie live, though she makes sure to take everyone and everything she can with her in a flurry of gunfire. The show keeps the sacrifice, decides to remove the humans she encounters before dying, and instead sends in a mass wave of Clickers. Tess chooses to go down in a literal blaze of glory as she sets fire to herself and all the Clickers that surround her. We are, also, treated to what can only be described as a French kiss between a Clicker and Tess, which makes things very awkward. All jokes aside, having Tess die differently, albeit slightly earlier, really brings up so many questions about the fate of a lot of the characters we are going to meet. What changes to our characters await us down the road?

    Ellie’s Infection

    In the game, Ellie’s valuable in that she is immune from this airborne and by-the-bite virus. That’s right: she cannot become infected no matter how many times she’s bitten or, you know, breathes. In the show, they have already established that the way you are infected is different in the show. However, it is in Tess’s conversation with Ellie where something comes into focus: Ellie is actually infected. Tess tells Ellie, in fact, that even stepping on a vine draws the attention of multiple infected, which is fascinating considering that Ellie is very much infected in the show given that she has been struck with the vines before. Is Ellie not just the key to a cure, but also the key to finding the presumptive leader of the Infected?

    The First Clicker Encounter

    Ellie, Joel, and Tess first encounter the Clicker in the museum in Boston, during a dark night in Beantown. The show sets this encounter a little bit earlier, removes FEDRA’s presence from the encounter, and lets it play out in broad daylight. Considering this is one of the most tense situations in the game, setting it in the daytime would remove all tension, you would think, but not even a little bit: it is still very much unnerving to see Clickers for the first time, and to see them in the location you did not expect. One of the really great things about the Resident Evil remakes being released now is that they circumvent our expectations, and The Last of Us has found a way to do that in nice ways through two episodes. What other subtle changes are in store for us that change our expectations?

    Tess’s Dying Wish

    Tess, gearing up to sacrifice herself, tells Joel to take Ellie to Bill and Frank, and urges him to have them take her to the Fireflies: in the game, this just does not play out like that at all, and Frank is actually dead. Joel finds a corpse in the train station after Tess sacrifices herself, and you later discover that that was Frank who was dead. In the show, Frank is very much alive, and that introduces a new dynamic for the next episode. Tess’s instructions are for them to take Ellie to the Fireflies, while Joel can continue looking for the Ghost Rider Gabriel Luna. We will not get into Bill’s future given how spoilery it would be, but Frank’s future being re-written really has us excited.

  • New Rumor Exposes the True Big Bad of Marvel Studios ‘Thunderbolts’

    New Rumor Exposes the True Big Bad of Marvel Studios ‘Thunderbolts’

    Since her first appearance in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Julia Louis-Dreyfus‘ Valentina Allegra de Fontaine has been recruiting some folks who are comfortable living in a moral grey area. Following a big reveal at D23 Expo 2022, audiences learned that Val’s full team will come together in the 2024 film Thunderbolts. Since the concept art of the team was unveiled, speculation about potential missing members of the squad began and recent rumors seemed to confirm that at least one member was withheld: Robert Reynolds, aka, Sentry. While the super-powered Sentry seems like he might be a bit too wack to fit into the MCU, there are some changes that could be made to make him fit the rumored “evil Superman” bill. However, despite having a plethora of problems, Sentry has never truly been a bad guy–at least not on his own merit–and a new rumor suggests that might not be the case in Thunderbolts either.

    According to Twitter user CanWeGetSomeToast, while it’ll be Sentry going into battle against the Thunderbolts, Val’s the one pulling his strings.

    https://twitter.com/CanWeGetToast/status/1617666429280751616?s=20&t=z6_4rmUxVwdstRv-YmCjwg

    The user suggests that Val will be behind whatever new Super Solider project is responsible for (presumably) turning Reynolds into Sentry and somehow making him her puppet. Additional rumors suggest that Sentry begins Thunderbolts as a member of the team before turning on his allies. From the sounds of it, whatever manner or method of control Val will have over Sentry won’t last and the Thunderbolts will have to come together to either take him down or get cooked.

    Sentry being under the thumb of a manipulative and duplicitous leader isn’t a new concept. During the Siege era from the pages of Marvel Comics, Sentry finds himself a member of Norman Osborn’s team of Avengers (Dark Avengers) and is used by Osborn as a one-man hit squad before being taken out by Thor. With Thor not currently expected to appear in Thunderbolts, one must wonder who will stop Sentry.

  • SLAMDANCE REVIEW: ‘Just Right’

    SLAMDANCE REVIEW: ‘Just Right’

    Making a film isn’t an easy task. Trying to fit a tightly wound story within a limited timeframe is difficult even when the project is two hours long. But making a short film that tells a complete story? Well, that’s even more difficult. Just Right manages to successfully tell a story about visible and non-visible disabilities within its fifteen-minute timeframe.

    Camille Wormser, who wrote and directed Just Right, stars as a woman named Mel who suffers from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). She’s grown accustomed to spending her life at home, unwilling to travel outside the safety of her front door. However, one morning, she decides she wants to do something different and seeks to join her friends as they go out for the day to a friend gathering that involves indoor skiing. At first, Mel seems disinterested, but she soon decides to give it a go.

    After going through her daily routines, including trying out each seat in the living room, Mel sets out on her own in search of a latte. She ends up at a place called Cookie Good, where it’s evident she’s uncomfortable and eager to disappear behind others. When another customer comes in, she tries to have them go first, but they insist she proceed, which leads to a difficult conversation between Mel and the person at the counter. It soon becomes clear that Mel is uncomfortable making eye contact with new people and that she’s not good with ordering things on her own. It’s a very, very well-done scene that depicts some of the invisible handicaps people live with on a daily basis and the negative way the public tends to react to people that are “different.”

    Upon receiving her drink, Mel sets out to meet up with her friends, Kyle (Jake Dvorsky) and Rene (Adam Turney), but soon realizes she’s running behind. Growing frantic, Mel ends up stopping to perform some of her daily rituals before sprinting off in search of her friends again. When she finally catches up to them, her entire demeanor changes. You can see the anxiety and uncertainty wash away as she becomes more comfortable within their presence. While some audience members might grow frustrated by the ending – or lack thereof – the way Wormser chooses to end the film is, well, Just Right.

    We get to see Mel go through the ringer. From her excitement to her panic, to her calming sense of achievement. It’s a rollercoaster ride, one that can be uncomfortable and hard to watch, but is so important to see displayed on screen because of its accuracy.

  • A Few Oscar Predictions in A Beautifully Crowded Year

    With the start of the new year comes growing anticipation for the Oscars. Most critics groups have sent their votes in and the Oscar shortlist has been widely scrutinized. 2022 was one of the better years for feature films, especially amid the pandemic, as small-budget features and half-million-dollar projects finally made it to the screen. Everything from The Whale to Top Gun: Maverick found an audience, nationally and internationally. Below are a few films to have your eye on, specifically for a nomination and hopefully for a win. Keep in mind, these are just a few favorites among a year of great films. 

    *Denotes a shortlist nomination

    Nope 

    Categories:

    • Best Actor-Daniel Kaluyya
    • Best Actress-Keke Palmer
    • Best Sound
    • Best Original Screenplay

    After a solid debut over the summer, Nope isn’t getting as much attention as it deserves, potentially because of the horror bend and the timing of its release. The film turns the mirror and camera back on society in a fresh way and is a great follow-up to wide releases Us and Get Out. Peele and Carmen Cuba assembled a great cast for a great script. The focus of the film is sharp and nods to monster movies of the past and present. Themes of family and heritage get their focus, as does the idea of story in general and how we define it. Any nomination is deserved, but bringing home a trophy would be splendid as well.

    The Batman 

    Categories:

    • Best Sound* 
    • Best Visual Effects*
    • Best Adapted Screenplay

    The Batman, another solid debut early in the year, takes place in a new DC Universe that’s not connected to iterations before it. Matt Reeves and his team chose to craft the world of Bruce Wayne after he’s been on the job for a few years. The assembled cast doesn’t get as much screen time as one might like, but they’re great nonetheless. And though the film has an amazing score, it didn’t get shortlisted, but it’s still fun to appreciate the development of Batman as a monster, hero, and even his Bruce Wayne “mask.”

    Glass Onion: A Knives Out  Mystery

    Categories:

    • Best Supporting Actress-Janelle Monae
    • Best Adapted Screenplay
    • Best Costume Design

    Glass Onion is another great cast full of characters that work well together. When focused on the core group, the film doesn’t feel overloaded with cameos for the sake of it. More fleshed-out characters would have made the film even stronger, but their shared history, even as it’s slowly revealed, is earned. The film doesn’t blow the audience away with mystery, though the woven narrative is just mysterious enough to stay a bit ahead and entertain.

    The Fabelmans

    Categories:

    • Best Picture
    • Best Director-Stephen Spielberg
    • Best Cinematography-Janusz Kaminski

    Every nomination for Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film could easily be a win because The Fabelmans hits all the markers: great story, great cast, great cinematography. The only expected snub will be Gabriel LaBelle, who plays Sammy Fabelman. Every actor pulls their weight in the film, even Seth Rogan, as they push the audience to reflect on their own story. The Fabelmans is a great comment on family, comparison, and perspective. 

    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

    Categories:

    • Best Supporting Actress-Angela Bassett
    • Best Sound
    • Best Makeup and Hairstyling*

    Wakanda Forever works in an entirely different space than every other Oscar contender this year but certainly will receive at least one official nomination. Hopefully, it earns a statue, much like its predecessor. The film balances Chadwick Boseman’s passing, sequel pressure, and everything in between to craft a strong narrative about two societies that find themselves at war even though a larger threat looms in the background. Ryan Coogler, the faithful director and screenwriter, and the team crafted a tangible support system as the film both debuts Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and tastefully continues the Black Panther series.

    Everything Everywhere All At Once

    Categories:

    Best Actress-Michelle Yeoh

    Best Actor-Key Huy Quan 

    Best Supporting Actress-Stephanie Hsu

    EEAAO is the movie that could sweep the Oscars or find itself repeatedly snubbed or welcome multiple first-time award winners. The film, directed by The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu, focuses on a mother’s relationship with her estranged daughter. It’s an amazing reflection on familial relationships and internal motivation, as well as life choices. The film brilliantly allows Evelyn Wang (Yeoh) to experience multiple lives at the same time instead of living one particular life over again, and of course, lessons ensue.

  • HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Originally Gave Tess An Origin Story

    HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Originally Gave Tess An Origin Story

    HBO’s serialized take on the acclaimed video game The Last of Us has thus far been a hit with fans. The show has been praised for its ability to recreate key moments from the original game while also offering expansive new information about the origins of the fungal pandemic and its leading characters. This week, the series debuted its second installment, which featured a heavy focus on Anna Torv‘s Tess, the smuggling partner of Pedro Pascal‘s Joel and co-caretaker of Bella Ramsey‘s Ellie. While the episode mostly sticks to the same character arc Tess has had since 2013, showrunner Craig Mazin was quick to reveal this wasn’t always the case.

    In the latest edition of HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast, an official weekly companion series in which Mazin and franchise creator Neil Druckmann discuss adapting the game to live-action, the former explained that the second episode nearly gave Tess a full-blown backstory. After being asked by podcast host Troy Baker about the character’s vulnerability and willingness to feel hope, Mazin stated they had actually written an origin for her that would have expanded upon the complex emotions she displays throughout the episode:

    There is something we had talked about, and we wrote it. We never shot it. It was a little bit of a backstory for Tess, and the fact that Tess had a kid. She had a husband and she had a son, and they were infected and she had to kill them. She killed her husband, but she could not kill the son. She couldn’t do it. She locked him in the basement, where theoretically, he’s still a Clicker.

    Craig Mazin

    Druckmann then elaborated further, chiming in to give more details on how the backstory would have been told and why it didn’t make the episode’s final cut:

    We had a cold open where we just like, the camera pushed on this door and you just hear this pounding coming from this basement and then we cut out. Then later, Tess would tell the story of how she couldn’t kill her son…it didn’t fit, but it was fun to think about.

    Neil Druckmann

    Whether or not fans choose to take this as the canon origin story for Tess is up to them. It hasn’t actually been included in any official in-world content, so it could be altered in the future if the creatives decide on something else. Or, as is often the case with The Last of Us, Tess’ history before Joel could remain a mystery forever. Either way, like Druckmann said, it’s still fun to think about.

    Source: HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast

  • Jeff Lovesness Explains Why Kang Poses a Greater Threat than Thanos

    Jeff Lovesness Explains Why Kang Poses a Greater Threat than Thanos

    Following in the footsteps of the last Avengers film, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, can’t be an easy task; however, it’s one that Rick and Morty and Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania scribe Jeff Loveness seems to have embraced. Loveness’ task on Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was simple: find a way to have Kang out-Thanos Thanos. Kang, who will be introduced in his full glory in Quantumania, poses a very different kind of threat than Thanos and one that Loveness believes audiences might find a bit more terrifying because as he explained in SFX Magazine, Kang is just one of us.

    To me, it’s all about the humanity. Obviously, Thanos is a great, iconic villain, but he’s also a big purple CGI guy. He’s an alien from outer space. The thing I really wanted to lean into is that Kang is a human being. Kang’s also a very lonely character. We’re going to be seeing a lot of him in a lot of different ways going forward, but I really wanted to introduce the humanity and even the vulnerability of this character before he gets to such apocalyptic, Avengers-scale heights.

    Jeff Lovenss

    If Quantumania is then about introducing the very human and vulnerable Kang, The Kang Dynasty would seem to be the place to unleash Kang. Loveness indicated that’s exactly what will happen and it might be more than Earth’s Mightiest Heroes can handle.

    Kang is a top-tier, A-list Avengers villain. What do you do when you feel you’re not enough against that? How do you step up to face the challenge of this generation, who is Thanos on an exponential level? He’s almost this infinite Thanos. I think we’re setting things up for a pretty dynamic story.

    Jeff Loveness

    Phase 4, which consisted of 14 live-action projects, recently concluded with the emotional Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Many of those projects introduced new heroes who are likely to be among those assembled to take on Kang. According to Loveness, when that tie comes, Marvel Studios will be ready to “put the pedal to the gas again.”

    As I’m building to Avengers I want it to feel like a generational struggle. Phase 4 felt like the birth of new characters. You’re giving everyone a little bit of a breath, you’re broadening out the universe, you have fun Disney Plus shows that are elevating characters. And now I think it’s time to put the pedal to the gas again, and really take all these new characters that we like and throw them into the fire.

    Jeff Loveness

    You had us at infinite Thanos. Fans will catch their first glimpse of just how dangerous Kang is when Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17th before watching him take over time in 2025’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

    Source: SFX Magazine via Games Radar